Newbie question about the Mac and suggestions

Hello,
I have used a couple of Macbook Pros and I'm ready to move from a Windows only machine to a Mac setup but I have a few questions. Any advice or corrections would be appreciated.
My first purchase would probably be the new Macbook pro 13 inch when the new models come out. I'm wanting to also run Windows so my first question is about parallels and boot camp. Is one better or more stable than the other? From what I have read, Windows operates in a virtual machine on parallels and is a hard boot from boot camp. What are the advantages/ disadvantages of this?
My next question is about mirroring content from a Macbook Pro to an iMac. I use my computer for personal and business use and I want to eventually upgrade my current desktop PC to an iMac within a couple of years. I would like to know the best way to have both an iMac and Macbook pro keep the same content and settings securely ( I'm a little uncomfortable with the air backup, I don't mind a physical wire or docking device connecting two computers). Apple seems to do very well in designing computers that work easily with other Apple devices. I know that I can simply have a Macbook Pro and use a Monitor and keyboard for home use, but I also want a home iMac for my wife to use when I'm away and incase my Macbook was ever lost or damaged. Thanks for any advice or suggestions.

1. The new models are out.

2. Re: virtualization vs. boot camp: long discussion there, but my first advice would be to WAIT a bit and see if you ACTUALLY need Windows as much as you think you do. IME, most people come to me wanting to reclaim that Windows partition after six months. But in a nutshell: the advantage of Boot Camp is maximum speed and compatibility. The advantage of Parallels (et al) is flexibility and convenience.

3. You can use a program like ChronoSync to keep your account on two machines in complete sync. It is highly recommended around here (though in the interest of full disclosure, I know those guys quite well and think very highly of them).

Thank you for the info Chas_m .

chas_m said:

2. Re: virtualization vs. boot camp: long discussion there, but my first advice would be to WAIT a bit and see if you ACTUALLY need Windows as much as you think you do. IME, most people come to me wanting to reclaim that Windows partition after six months.

Click to expand...

I did reclaim my Windows partition. But I do have another computer at work only because our IT department will not support Apple and I need to access our company computer system. But everything else I do on my Apple computer. Including Microsoft Office Applications.

I've been in a lot of Mac/Win environments and actually did initially split my Mac into 2 partitions for similar reasons (but also, I moved to Europe for a long period of time and wasn't sure if everything would be Mac compatible). I ended up determining that I only needed my own printer, but that everything I needed, worked correctly, especially if I had software that had Mac and Win versions of the product.

Part of my reason for going back to full Mac, other than wanting the space, was that I hardly used the Win, and it meant I needed less antivirus software. When you put Win on, you need antivirus for both partitions (Mac and Win), and it is an additional expense and risk I didn't want.

You don't, in fact, need "antivirus" for the Mac partition. A Windows virus can't affect the Mac partition.